Tuesday 12 February 2013

The root of my addiction - log cabin

Yep, there it is.
The one thing that got me addicted.
Hands up who's with me?
The first ever quilt I made was log cabin, and ever since that,
I've felt this need to sew pieces of fabric together and create things.
I say create 'things' - not necessarily quilts - all things fabricy.
At this stage you may expect to see a photo of my first quilt.
Not a chance!
I still have it, I still want to pick it apart and re-sew it,
but it rests undisturbed, in a forgotten corner of the attic.
Thoughts of all things log cabin came back to me when I was asked recently to review a free ebook of Log Cabin Quilt Patterns from Fons and Porter.
 
I have always been a fan of log cabin,
in fact one of my most treasured quilts is a log cabin design.
The Log Cabin Quilt Pattern ebook is jam packed with different ideas
and layouts for log cabin quilts.
But best of all, it give charts which state the different strip widths you need to produce different sizes of log cabin blocks.
I decided to try out a small scale 'chevron block'.
I made the quilt top using some scraps (a lot of them from this quilt),
 my blocks measure 5". 
I am really pleased with how it turned out. The border is actually
more of a raspberry red colour than the photo shows.
The ebook is not totally about log cabin, it also has a few extra
hints and tips on finishing quilts.
 
So if you fancy taking a new look at log cabin, this is a great place to start.
It supplies some patterns, but I think best of all, it gives you the measurements and inspiration you need to come up with your own designs.
So tell the truth, which patchwork block started your addiction? :) 


Saturday 9 February 2013

Queen Bee for February!

It's my turn this month to be 'Queen Bee' for the Modern Irish Bee.
I came across a tutorial for this block on the blog Sophie Junction, which I thought was a great take on a traditional 9 patch block.


I took the plunge and cut into my treasured stash
of 'Chicopee' by Denyse Schmidt.
Her new range 'Shelbourne Falls' has just hit the online shops and I'm really tempted - all those plaids...
 
Here's a few more Bee blocks I've made lately-
first up, is a disappearing nine patch for Collette in the Hipbees.

Flying Geese for Di, another Hipbee, which I returned to her in
super quick time. (Because usually I'm last!)
And finally. some scrappy triangles for Fi, in the Modern Irish Bee.
Just goes to show, that no matter how small the scrap of fabric is,
there's always a use for it!

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Long time no blog..

Well, at long last I've got back to my blog.
Things have been busy around here (As usual!)
 
Last week I got a lovely email from Lorraine who lives in Denver, Colorado.
She had found one of my quilt designs on the Moda Bakeshop
and had made it for a friend's new baby.
I was delighted that she had taken the time to share it with me,
And allowed me to share it with you! 
Such fantastic quilting.
Seeing this quilt really made my day.